Today in Labor History April 21, 1915: Anthony Quinn was born. Quinn was a Mexican-American actor, painter, writer, and film director. He played the titular role in Zorba the Greek and was nominated for the Academy Award for best actor. And he did win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor twice: for “Viva Zapata!” (1952) and “Lust for Life” (1956). As a child, Quinn experienced considerable racism growing up in Los Angeles. He later participated in several civil rights and social causes. He supported the Spanish-Speaking People's Congress. He also helped raise funds for the legal defense of Mexican American youth in the racially charged Sleepy Lagoon murder trial in 1942. He also supported the 1963 March on Washington and visited Native American activists occupying Alcatraz Island.
